


Presode: The Shimmering Girl

by myverydeareliza (orphan_account)



Series: Rebels of the Second Harlem Renaissance [1]
Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: F/M, Hamilton - Freeform, Hamliza, dystopia au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-23
Updated: 2018-07-23
Packaged: 2019-06-11 16:53:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,403
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15319953
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/myverydeareliza
Summary: Years after the Great War, beloved little Harlem is taken over by George the Tyrant and renamed to New Windsor. The New York colony pays tribute to their returned "king", but even then he still pulls the strings. He keeps a tight fist on all, but especially on Alexander Hamilton, a young immigrant and young adult gifted with resilience and passion. The young adult who's doing all he can to blot out New George-tropolis - and its new laws on marriage.





	Presode: The Shimmering Girl

**Author's Note:**

> Trigger warnings: government tyranny and a socioeconomic class system

No luck. Little Alexander Hamilton had been searching for big brother James since lunchtime, and he still hadn't found him. He glanced up at the sky, which at this point was losing its bright blueness and trading it in for a pinky-purple tone. The sun was setting and he'd been alone in the woods for hours. It was a miracle he hadn't been mauled by some enchanted beast yet.

He couldn't leave without James. James was the only one who could take him home. Alex took a sharp breath and began to call out his brother's name. "James! JAMES! Please come out, it's getting dark and I'm scared! I just wanna go home!" He paused, hoping for any sort of reply. Nothing. Great. "JAMES HAMILTON! I'm tired, and I'm hungry, and I miss Mama! Hurry up already! I know you're hiding somewhere!"

Finally, after moments of just searching and continuing to screech his brother's name (only to not succeed), the seven-year-old rested up against a tree, wondering how long it'd take before James finally came out. The forest was now almost completely dark. Maybe he'd befriend some nice woodland creatures who could take care of him for the rest of his life. At least the animals didn't have to be scared of George the Tyrant, or meeting the business end of a bayonet while just trying to walk home from school. He longed to fight in the war for just one day - heck, he'd even settle for a minute - but everyone said he was too young. But when trying to use this unfortunate fact to his advantage (like when he was trying to work out an exemption from cleaning his room), the nearestby adult would say something like "There's a time and a place, Alexander."

"I'm NOT too young!" Alexander screamed, angrily pulling on the grass. He stood up and started to stomp through the forest, wiping tears from his eyes every other second. Fine. If James wouldn't come out, Alex was free to leave him behind to rot in the forest alone. Good riddance.

As he walked, a rattling scream reverberated throughout the forest, seeming to have come from one of the many tall, dark trees in this forest. Alex immediately jerked his head toward the sound. James. James had been hiding in a tree this whole time. Boy, the spanking he was going to get for letting himself lose his little brother... Alex couldn't help but giggle maniacally at his brother's expense.

"James, I SWEAR to Judas Iscariot that when we get home I'm gonna-" He was knocked to the ground with a loud THUMP that might as well have shaken the whole earth. James's head was on his leg at this point. " _Jaaaaames_." He gave the figure another look, blushing as he realized the **girl** he'd just caught with his leg wasn't his brother. He stared at her for a good minute, his heart twisting as it noticed a new thing to find beautiful, one after another. He reached out to touch her cloak, which was a peculiar shade of a radiant, early-morning blue that he'd never been taught about. He recognized the color as cobalt blue from his crayon box - but somehow more beautiful. Likewise, just as the dawn of the morning, the glossy blue fabric tinted her surroundings in a natural—yet unnatural—blueish haze. All he could think of when he looked at it was the sparkle of the sun's rays on a crystal blue lake. 

"H-hi, My name's Alexander," He smiled, not taking his hand off her cloak. "But my friends call me Alex. And my brother. And my mom. And my dad. A _lot_ of people call me Alex." He chuckled. 

"Elizabeth Schuyler. It's a pleasure to meet you," the girl sat up and bobbed a little head-bow. Her tone was quiet and mousy, as if being probed by a parent for doing something wrong. "But I like Eliza. 'Elizabeth' is just too long." She shook her head and let out a little smile like she was mocking the five people who still called her "Elizabeth." 

Alexander immediately jumped up and bowed. " _You're_ Philip Schuyler's daughter, aren't'cha?" He asked as he sat back down. 

Eliza's eyes widened and she blinked. "How did you know?" She stared hard at Alex.  

"I don't know, I guess I just... since, you know, you have the same last name and everything... it was a lucky guess." 

"Oh," Eliza's face reddened. She sniffed and wiped at her nose, then massaged her elbows. That fall had done wonders for her body. 

All of a sudden, a funny nauseous feeling began to creep into his stomach and he began to wonder what this girl, who had the social status of a princess in a fairytale, thought of him. He sometimes got this feeling and he hated it. He felt it mostly around girls, especially around Maria Reynolds, the neighbor girl with the cat named Susan. He needed to hurry up and find something to say before there was an awkward silence. He knew that guys had to be nice to girls and make sure they didn’t get hurt all the time, so he should just go ahead and ask her. It just felt weird.

He pushed up and down on his toes. "Are you... okay? I mean... that was a pretty... pretty tall tree ya fell from. I'm sorry I couldn't catch you." 

Eliza smiled at him, the first real smile either one of them had dared to muster since Eliza landed on Alexander's calf. "It wasn't your fault, it's the branch's fault for breaking on me. Darn branch." She looked back at the tree and pretended to shake her fist at it. 

"Darn branch!" Alex shook his fist at the tree and smirked at Eliza. For a girl from a prissy rich family, she sure did have personality. 

Eliza bounced around in a circle. “Now I better go home before Daddy sends out a search party. Don’t tell anyone I was in the woods, because, well... I wasn't supposed to be here. 

Alex kind of wished she didn’t have to leave. He had many kids his age to play with, but not many of them understood his bold, brash, non-stop personality. Or had a goody-two-shoes big brother who could get them out to the woods and be trusted to bring them home. “Well, okay,” he said, “But if I were you, I’d tell your dad where you were, spanking or not. My brother James says only cowards lie or hide the truth.”

Eliza's cheeks reddened again and she opened her mouth to say something. But then she closed it and pursed her lips tight together, brow furrowed. 

"A general's kid probably shouldn't be a coward," Alex quipped. 

"No, I guess she shouldn't," Eliza crossed her arms and sighed. 

 “I won’t tell anyone anyway, though,” Alex said. “Bye, Eliza!” He was about to dash off, but stopped. “Uh, you sure you can find your way back? It's getting dark, and... Albany's a long way from here." He wasn't certain he'd be of any assistance since he didn't even know the way to his own house, but he _was_ certain that he wanted to spend more time with her. Besides, his dad had once told him it was important to make sure girls got home safely. 

“I’m sure, Alex,” she said, laughing lightly. “I can find my own way in the woods, thank you very much! I’m not afraid of anything. I’m going to go home and tell my daddy just where I’ve been and what I’ve been doing, so _there_!”

Boy, was she moody. Alex cocked his head. “Uh... okay! Bye, then!”            

“Bye,” she said, without looking at him. She turned around and started running into the dark tree tunnels of the Harlem woods.

Alex kept his head in Eliza's direction until a vague sparkle was all he could see of her. Sure, he still had to find James and everything, but that was the least of his worries. All that he could think about right now was Eliza and the hope that she'd not only get home safely, but also be safe in his arms someday. "Darn branch," he shook his fist at the tree again, this time with rock-hard fury in his voice, before taking out a small flashlight from his pocket. He could find his own way home tonight.

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Hello, everyone who happened to click on this trashy fic and read all the way down to this message! I hope you enjoyed what you read, and that my inability to write child characters wasn't too obvious. Future chapters will be better because I actually know how to write young adults. That I can promise! ;-P 
> 
> For those who didn't mind this chapter's cheese and awkwardness, welcome for good! Thank you for entrusting me to satisfy your Hamliza fixes every once in a while. I'll try to keep my act up to par.
> 
> Optional Questions for Readers (they're all based on opinion, so you can write whatever the crap you want! This is also your place to voice any concerns or questions you have about the story.)  
> 1\. How did this chapter make you feel as you read it?  
> 2\. What are some words you personally would use to describe Alex and/or Eliza's personality? Did you like one of them more than the other? Did you hate both of them?  
> 3\. Did you have a favorite line/part of this chapter? If I used a technique or word that you really liked, please let me know! I'll try to implement it into future chapters.  
> 4\. Did any of the characters' behaviors seem like a stereotypical 7-year-old?  
> 5\. Were there any parts or characters you didn't like because they were unlikely/out-of-character? 
> 
> Thank you for your time and interest!  
> -myverydeareliza/Amy Jo


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